Blood and Flesh, Love and War
by Illusions-chan
Summary: In this world, naive humans are unaware of the fact that htey share their world with vampires and werewolves. Only an alliance of humans now the truth. But what will happens when two best friends are forced to save the world in such a way that it may as w
1. Prologue

Disclaimer- Fushigi Yugi and Co. does not belong to me.

* * *

**Prologue - Early Bird**

A piece of the wood railing cracked. The blonde man breathed in deeply. His already pale knuckles were now a snow white. His friend had been right. He really did need a mate. Growling slightly, the man tried to ease the pain of tremors rippling through his body.

* * *

A brunette head turned. Green eyes fluttered open, taking in all aspects of their location, especially the light that was seemingly coming from behind them.

"Miaka! Wake up!" The brunette finally sat up. Her name was Yuki Miaka. _Age-21. Profession-officer in the 19 section._ The girl hopped off the bed, and walked towards the bathroom.

Meanwhile, a tall slim woman placed some cream into a cup of coffee and added two lumps of sugar. A shorter blonde girl watched her.

"You should eat a little faster, Yui-sama, if you want to make to work on time." The girl sighed. Her name was Hongo Yui. _Age-21. Profession-officer in the 18 section._

"I suppose you're right. But what about Glutton-girl over there?"

"Hey! I heard that!" The blonde looked up to see Miaka waking into the room, fully dressed.

"You were supposed to you," Yui replied dryly. "You know, I should really send you to _Ripley's Believe it or Not ©_. Seriously, I mean how do you consume so much food and still not get fat!" Glaring at the blonde, Miaka sat down at the bar-like arrangement and picked up the cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Soi." The older woman gave her slight smile. Her name was Haku Kaen, but the two girls referred to her as Soi. _Age-(unknown). Profession-a nurse and also member of the JUDSA's medical unit. JUDSA stood for Japan Underground Strike-n-Defense Association. They were an unknown association whose job was to fight the things that went bump in the night really._ Yui was part of the informational unit while Miaka was part of the attack unit. _There were 6 units: attack, informational, medical, research+development, training, and resources; and 60 sections, ten per unit. The numbers 1-20 were split between attack and information. People were allowed to try and enter when they are at least 18. They were only approached if they show qualities wanted in JUDSA._ Both Yui and Miaka had joined JUDSA when they were only 16. They were the weird ones out, already on missions when other kids their age were messing around in high school. They had met Soi after one deadly mission when they were 18. After that, the older woman had become like an older sister to the two.

"Hey Soi, you're going to come to HQ after the operation, right?" The woman smiled. _What no one else in the world knew was that JUDSA's headquarters were located underneath the Imperial Palace and its grounds. One of the largest stretching spaces in Tokyo, it was home to the central control panel, most sections' offices, JUDSA's superior hospital, and the whole training camp._

"Don't worry about me, Yui-sama. Right now, you should leave." Yui smiled. She and Miaka would have died a couple times if it hadn't been for the woman.

"K. Come on Miaka let's go."

"Ok. hold on." Miaka stuffed the last piece of toast in her mouth and hurried out the door after Yui. Soi smiled slightly. She then placed down the glass she had been holding, and softly touched one of her teeth. It was an **_uber_** pointy tooth, sharp and long. Soi took in a deep breath. She was a vampire, a fictitious blood-thirsty monster that roamed through the night. Opening her eyes, she shut off the tap and left the kitchen. Grabbing her coat, she placed on her sunglasses as she left the apartment.

* * *

"YUKI! HONGO! YOU'RE LATE!" Both girls winced at the sound of their superior's voice. Both girls turned around to see their boss, Cho Genrou, otherwise known as Tasuki, standing behind them with a very pissed off look on his face.

"Hi boss," Yui managed weakly. Tasuki simmered.

"Hongo, do you know what time it is?"

"8:05, sir?"

"EXACTLY! HONGO, WHAT TIME ARE YOU AND YUKI SUPPOSED TO GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE?"

"8 hundred sir?"

"Precisely! Now.."

"Tasuki, calm down." Both girls took in a breath of relief at the sight of Chichiri, the head of the department.

"Good morning, Chichiri-san," both girls chorused. The blue-haired man smiled.

"Good morning girls. Miaka, I need you to help with the training of some cadets. And Yui, information is having some problems with the system. Can you check it out?"

"Sure sir." Yui saluted, and walked away.

"Right away." Miaka bowed before towards the dojos. She walked in to see about twenty young men and women standing in the dojo.

"Ah, here is my assistant, Officer Yuki." Miaka looked up to see Sukanami Taka, a.k.a. Tamahome, a.k.a the love of life (if he only knew) smiling at her. Her heart skipped a beat as she returned his smile. Dropping her bag to the side, Miaka quickly ran into the change rooms.

* * *

On the other side of the building, Yui carefully connected three wires. She then crawled out from under the desk, and gave the other officers the ok to start up the system. A huge wave of relief swept through the room as the screens light up and the CPUs began flashing.

"Thanks, Yui." Yui turned to Ou Doukun smiling at her gratefully.

"No problem Chiriko. It's part of my job." The blonde girl then left the room, and headed towards her office. She threw coat onto the rack in the corner as she walked over to her computer to turn it on.

* * *

"Now, once you have their hand, kick at their knee to give up an even greater advantage." Tamahome demonstrated the move on Miaka to show the others. Letting go of her, he walked around the room to help out. Miaka sighed remorsefully at the lack of contact. Yui may call her a dense one, but it was nothing compared to the denseness of Tamahome. Sighing, she decided to walk around the room as well.

* * *

_(A/N): HI! Here is the prologue to another story. I know it's short, but that's what prologues are all about. Don't worry. I'm still doing all my other stories. But I really just wanted to write this so here it is! Review please! _

_**5-05-2005** Wooh! Well, I've decided to edit and re-write a few parts to this story before I upload any more chapters. Frankly, I want to make it more invoking. I'm going to try to add some pop-culture influences, flush out some of my characters that I've been neglecting, intensify the actions sequences, and concentrate on details. (I've been really influenced by Syaoran's Angels great story and Blood Dawn another awesome one, so I really want to make my story a little into that style of action.)_


	2. Mishaps

_Disclaimer - Fushigi Yugi and all related products are property of Watase Yu.

* * *

_

**Chapter One - Mishaps**

"Yo! What happened to you? You look like you've been to Hell and back!" Ryo Chuin, otherwise known as Seiryuu Seishi Tomo, stared at his extremely pale friend. The blonde, Gi Ayuru, ('cough'**NAKAGO**'cough') merely pushed the dark-haired vampire out of his way and stepped into the luxurious pent house.

"Nakago-san!" A wide-eyed vampire girl stared up at the blonde in surprise. He smiled slightly, a barely noticeable curving of his lips. Walking over to the leather one seater, he fell into it.

"Saori, coffee please." The girl nodded, immediately getting to the task. Tomo walked over and sat down on the coffee table in front of the blonde. "What date is it?"

"14th July," Tomo answered plainly, wondering why the vampire in front of him would need the date.

"Lunar calendar wise?" The dark-haired male's mouth formed an 'O' shape as he realized what was going on.

"You're getting close to your **moon**, aren't you?" The blonde nodded, closing his eyes. _The moon, as Tomo so eloquently put it, was the time frame in which Nakago had been changed from man to vampire. Each year a vampire would reach the moon time without a mate, they would have to suffer the changing tides of that month's moon. Frankly, it was a signal saying "Get off your ass and get a mate!"_ Saori walked back into the room holding two mugs. She handed one to Tomo and the other to Nakago. Tomo then looked up at the mouse-haired girl. "Have you seen Koutoku recently, imouto-chan?"

"Iie." The girl in reality was not Tomo's sister, but biological matters did not apply to the male. He nodded then, sipping his coffee. Nakago smirked slightly. Tomo had been extremely angry, an understatement, when he found out that some **_gaki_** had mated his little sister. The girl then walked over to the door. "I'm going to go shopping, okay?" Tomo nodded and waved her off. He then turned back to the ex-shogun. "Ready for work?" he asked in cheerful sarcasm.

* * *

"Hey Yui-chan." Yui looked up to see Miaka walking into the room. Her face was red, her hair was plastered to her forehead, and she looked like she was going to collapse any second.

"Miaka, sit down." The brunette walked over and plopped into the red upholstered swivel chair. She leaned her head against the chair and groaned softly.

"That's it. No matter how much I love him, I am **_NEVER_** training with him again!" Yui smirked then.

"You know, I really have to tell you, unless you do something, you and Tamahome are never going to get to _**even** first base_." Miaka blushed then.

"Now why would I want to get to first base with Tamahome, even though that wouldn't be so bad. It'd actually be kind of enjoyab.. **YUI-CHAN!**" Yui laughed. Miaka glared at her friend and threw a paper ball at her head. Unknown to the two girls, a certain violet-eyed officer had just overheard their whole conversation.

"Well, now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind doing you either, Miaka." Tamahome smirked, a positively wicked grin crossing his face, as he walked away.

* * *

"Now," a young woman began, smiling at her attentive class. "Please turn to page 157 in you-----! Ahhh!" Screams erupted in the room as four large males with guns came smashing through the windows, feet first. Meanwhile, in other classrooms across the grade school, more males broke in. Screams also erupted into the secondary school across the courtyard. At the entrance of the school, a tall male with cruel features covered in tattoos entered the building.

"We've taken over both schools, sir," a subordinate reported. He smiled, revealing sickening yellow teeth and black gums.

"Good."

* * *

"Hongo! Yuki! Come on!" Both Yui and Miaka jumped out of their chairs and followed the officer into the main conference area. Yui immediately took her seat next to Chirko, whose fingers were flying across the keyboard.

"What's going on?" she asked, as she pulled on her headset.

"Frog." The term was used to describe underground gangs and groups that were too much for the local police forces to handle.

"Where?"

"4 separate schools in either cardinal directions of the Imperial Palace." Yui frowned as she typed at a furious pace, pulling up maps of the schools and hacking into the security systems. Behind the computers pit, on the overlooking edge, Miaka stood along with Tamahome, paying rapt attention to Tasuki.

"We have four schools taken over. Whether, it's one group or more, we don't know yet. I want two sections to take each school. The northbound school will be handled by at. sections 2 and 13. You will be corresponding with the eastern control panel where Tomite is in charge over info sections 4 and 17. Set your frequencies to 9."

"The eastbound school will be handled by at. sections 6 and 10. You will be in touch with the Tokyo University control panel. Tatara is in charge there over info sections 5 and 7. Set your frequencies to 1."

"The westbound school will be handled by sections 14 and 15. You will be connected to info sections 3 and 16 at Parliament, under Chichiri's order. Set your frequencies to 5.

"The last school which is southbound be taken by at. sections 19 and 12. Info sections 18 and 9 will be corresponding with you from here. Set your frequencies at 12. Now get out there!"

**"YES SIR!"** The last sections saluted and left.

* * *

Miaka took in a deep breath as she checked her guns, clicking the magazine into place as she stuffed extras clips into her pockets. Placing the guns in her back holster, she picked up her sword and left the room.

"Control room? Calling agent in x-o-47, ready for action."

* * *

"Copy that, agent. You are ready to go. Take the 95 freeway up to the Ohana intersection. From there, continue southbound. You will reach the school in an estimated 3 minutes. Wait there for more orders," Yui finished reciting as her fingers flew across the keys, bringing up detailed maps of the city, the palace, and the route she had just given out. From the legend, she could see where all the agents were. It was go time.

* * *

Soi sighed as she washed her hands in one of the many sinks of Tokyo Central Hospital. Four surgeries and one C-section, today was just not her day. She frowned, trying to get rid of the metallic scent of blood that stuck to her.

"Is something wrong, Haku-san?" Soi inwardly jumped at the sound of a serene voice. She turned to see a tall man with deep chocolate brown eyes and hair to match watching her.

"Oh, iie. I was just getting ready to leave." Before her stood Myou Juan, otherwise known as Mitsukake, or _Teddy bear-san_ as the children affectionately referred to him. "Will I be seeing you at headquarters later?" Soi asked conversationally.

"Of course, Haku-san." Soi nodded then.

"Then I will take my leave of you," she murmured as she walked past him. Soi didn't know whether he was human or not, but she did have her suspicions. Mitsukake of the Suzaku seven had been an introverted man, but that didn't mean he was blind. He had probably been the most insightful of them all.

* * *

"Shut up!" a male roared as children wailed. The dark leader had his men gather up all the children form both schools and place them in the secondary school's auditorium along with the faculty. The children had unconsciously formed a circle, smaller children and girls to the inside with the older boys on the outside. Most of the female members of the faculty sat amongst the younger children, reassuring them, while the male members sat along the outer edges. A young boy near the edge sat, quietly glaring at the males and their weapons. A bulky noticed the boy's glare and smirked. He bent over and stared into the boy's violet eyes.

"What are you glaring at, kid? Don't like not studying?" he asked in a sing-song voice. The boy looked up, his eyes narrowing. "Well? What is it, kid?" The boy seemed to smirk then, a barely noticeable movement of his muscles.

"I don't like the smell of you," he finally whispered. The man frowned and then sneered at the boy.

"**You, you measly little brat, YOU don't like the smell of ME!**" he roared. He stood to his full height then and tried to strike the boy with his feet. The boy immediately rolled away from the man, jumping to his feet. The other males watched, smirking and sneering. This was entertainment, good entertainment. The bulky male charged forward like a mad bull at the boy, who stood his ground, until the last moment. At the last second, he jumped up into the air and flipped himself over the man. The man growled, snorting like a wild creature. The boy, however, just watched, waiting for the man to move. This was war.

* * *

Miaka cursed as she swerved crazily to move out of the way of a speeding black super bike. She shook, muttering obscenities.

"Could you drive any worse, Odango?" Tamahome asked, referring to the buns at the top of her head.

"Shut it Sukanami, or you'll be walking," she replied through gritted teeth. The male just shrugged. Miaka then pulled to a stop, a block away from the school. It was time to crash the party.

* * *

Yui cursed as her fingers flew across the screen.

"Alright agents. Get ready. You're heading for the auditorium of the secondary school."

* * *

All of the agents blanched.

"Secondary school!" Tamahome roared. "What secondary school!"

("If you'd shut up, Sukanami, I could get to it.") Tamahome glared as the informant's voice switched to Yui's. ("From what the maps say, you'll two ways to entry. I recommend splitting into two groups. The first group should go through the three entrances to the auditorium. One is through the school, the others are directly from outside. The other group should take to the windows and roof. There are skylights that can be easily broken.")

"Where are the kids?" Miaka cut in.

("In the Auditorium. Wait, the heat and motion sensors are picking up some disturbances. Be on your toes guys. This doesn't look... What the hell!")

* * *

"What the hell!" Yui blinked, trying to get used to the darkness. She tapped her hip, making sure her emergency semi was in the holster.

"Does everyone have all the rights number of limbs and digits?" Yui shook her head at her superior's question.

"Seems like it, boss."

"Hongo?"

"Hai?"

"What the hell is going on?"

"As if I know sir. Everything just died."

"Yui, your screen is alive!" Yui spun around to face her screen. Her eyes widened, staring at the dos format. Words began to scroll across the screen.

"The first to die will be the loved ones of a Suzaku. Just like before..." Yui stared at the message, trying to decipher its meaning. Suddenly, all the lights and the sirens turned on immediately. Yui winced, shielding her eyes and ears.

("Control? Come in?") Shaking it off, Yui got back into work mode. They had children to save.

* * *

"Did you get them?" The agent shook his head.

"Wait!" All turned to Tamahome. "Control?"

("We're here. What do you need?")

"What happened?"

("Not sure. We're trying to figure it out right now. Proceed with your task.")

"Got it. Let's go!" Everyone nodded and raced off towards the school. Miaka jumped onto the wall surrounding the school yard and took out her binoculars. Scanning over the auditorium, she nodded to the agent waiting behind her.

"I'm going for the roof. Ground people, go with Tamahome." The agents nodded and split up. Miaka ran the length of the wall and flipped off, landing in a crouch. She then raced for the side of the school. Kicking off the wall, she and the other agents flipped onto the school roof. They all looked at each other and nodded. Two of the males walked over to the side of the auditorium and joined their, creating a ledge for the rest to use as a kick off. They nodded and Miaka raced up to them. Stepping into their hands, she felt them throw her up into the air. She immediately flipped out and landed silently on the roof, racing to a skylight.

* * *

Tamahome cursed as he ran into another dead end. How large was this school!

"Control. We're having some problem. Give a way."

("Already there. Go back the hallway you came and go straight at the intersection. Then take your first right and a second left.") The group of agents raced down the halls, their footsteps barely audible. It'll be the two large doors at the end of this hall. ("Good luck agents. Remember, no casualties. Knock outs only.") They all stopped then. Nodding at the other agents, Tamahome pulled out his nunchaku. His guns were handy, just in case.

"We're at the door. Are the rest of you ready?"

("At the word.")

("There.")

("Let's do it.") Tamahome took in a deep breath then.

"We'll enter first. The two doors enter next. Skylights, I hope you guys are sharp shooters."

("Don't worry about that. At the count. 1..") Tamahome raced back, while the others held there places.

("3!") He ran forward and flew into the doors, kicking them open. He rolled into the center while the rest rolled to the side. Two bangs resounded, showing that the other doors had been open. Holding out his nunchaku, he stood, glaring at the males.

"Surrender or die. Which one will it be gentlemen?"

"AHHH! Let me go!" All of the agents turned to the side to see a young woman in a head lock with a gun at her temple. The male who held her grinned, bearing gruesomely long, yellow teeth.

* * *

Miaka cursed as her eyes fell on the woman.

"Damn it! Get this window open!" She grabbed out her gun, cocking and checking the sights. The agent next to her nodded and she got down on her stomach, aiming at the male.

("Sharpshooters, we need you.")

"Already there. When I shoot, grab her."

("Roger.") Miaka then aimed and waited. Seeing an opening, she pulled the trigger.

* * *

Tamahome turned, hearing the bullet. It struck the male, straight in the forehead. The woman shrieked as an agent grabbed her, rolling away. Tamahome smirked then.

"You reek!" A young boy jumped out in front of Tamahome, but he fell on his back due to too much momentum. A large male came after him, cursing and spitting.

"Damn it Ricky! Leave the kid! We have bigger problems!" Another male hissed. Tamahome stared at the boy, glancing over his bleeding lip, ripped clothing and various cuts. Rage boiled in his stomach and flew up to his throat. He growled then and jumped into the air, attacking 'Ricky'. The others followed his lead, going after whoever was close to them.

* * *

"Looks like they've got it," One of the agents commented as he stood. A few others murmured agreement. Miaka, still however, watched the scene, her emerald eyes taking in everything. A frown then appeared on the brunette's face as she stared at Tamahome.

"What the hell is he doing? she hissed. "Dammit! He's gonna blow the whole thing!" Standing up, Miaka kicked through the skylight and jumped into the room. She ran then, heading for the green-tinted, ebony haired agent in the corner. Jumping into the air, Miaka launched a flying side kick Liu Kang would've been proud of. Tamahome looked up for a second, his eyes widening.

"Oof!" Miaka turned over, pinning the male to the ground as she straddled his waist.

"What the hell are you doing Sukanami! You nearly blew this whole fucking thing!" she hissed angrily. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with bloodlust. Miaka sucked in a deep breath at their crimson tint. Ripping off her glove, she whipped a vicious backhand at the male. Tamahome's head bounced off the floor at the power of the strike. He blinked then, the crimson tint leaving his violet orbs.

"Chuei?" he asked, groaning as he turned his head to the side. The boy from before rushed to the male, bending over him.

"Hai?" Miaka and Tamahome both stared at the boy, taking in his doe-eyed look and sheepish grin.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied. Miaka then decided to get off of the male. Standing up, she glared down at him as he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Ohh! What did I drink?" he asked, looking up at her.

"You tell me," she snapped, her emerald eyes glittering angrily. Miaka stared around herself then. The other agents had taken care of the frog while some were reassuring members of the faculty. Also, many female teachers were consoling the younger children, wiping their tears and making them smile. Miaka turned then and nearly jumped at the close proximity an old lady stood to her.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed happily. "I knew it was you! It's been years since I've seen you!" Miaka stared at her suspiciously as she back slightly backed away.

"Ano, do I... do I know you?" she asked, carefully choosing her words. The woman's expression changed then.

"Of course you do! I should have known that even now you'd still be a dunce!" she snapped with mock anger. Miaka, however, missed the mock part and bristled, her emerald eyes glittering dangerously.

"I have no idea what you're taking about. Who are you?" the brunette demanded. The woman before stared at her then.

"Are you alright Miaka? I mean, I know we didn't get along, but you should remember me. It was only a few years ago that I was yelling at you to pay attention." Tamahome then interrupted, smirking.

"So you were a dunce, Odango?" He grinned, expecting the brunette to blow up as usual. But when she didn't, he turned to look at her. Her emerald eyes screamed suspicion while her stance showed discomfort. "Yo! You okay, Odango?" Miaka shook her head, backing away from the woman.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you." She turned around them and began to walk away, leaving Tamahome and the woman to stare after her.  
"Control?"

("Yes agent?")

"Mission accomplished," Miaka stated as she uneasily left the building.

* * *

"Yeah. I know!" Tomo clicked off his cell as he entered through a pair of one-sided glass doors. "You called?" he asked, staring at the blonde who stood at the window wall overlooking Tokyo. Nakago turned, his seiren eyes cold and calculating.

"There were wolves. Here." Tomo's face darkened as he walked closer.

"In the office?"

"No. Nearby though." Tomo set down his cell then, and grabbed the cuff of his left sleeve. He pulled it up, past his elbow, and then bent his arm, exposing the outer side. Nakago's eyes zeroed in on the large gash upon his arm. "What happened?"

"I attacked."

"Board daylight?"

"Hai." The blonde growled, his fangs glaring out of his mouth. He turned then, walking back to the window, as Tomo sat himself down in the large leather chair. "They said something too, you know."

"What?" Nakago asked, slightly turning to stare at the male.

"**The first to die will be the loved ones of a Suzaku. Just like before...**"

"What!"

* * *

_(A/N): Ouch.. I know. I take forever to load this and then I just leave it like that. I'm horrid. _

_Anyway, this chapter, I actually like the fight scenes. I think I've become a little too liberal in using the line divisions, but it doesn't cost me, so it's okay. The hardest part, however, in writing this all is too make sure I don't get too crazy with descriptions and only go in-depth when it really matters._

_Now when I look at it. The last scene was just a spur of the moment, but I think this gets you closer into the main plot of the whole story. I'm glad I've put it in._

_Now, if you've gone into my profile, maybe you've read that I've been stuck in the Sailormoon section. If not, I have and I hope that explains my liberal use of Tamahome calling Miaka "Odango". I know it's Mamoru's thing for Usagi, but it just works so well! But here's a permanent disclaimer anyway._

_**The term "Odango" or "Odango Atama" belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just using it.**_

_Well, hopefully you like this chapter! Ja!_


	3. Memories

Disclaimer - Last time I checked, FY did belong to Yu Watase, right?

* * *

**Chapter Two - Memories**

_(Five years ago)_

A loud explosion sounded through downtown Tokyo, specifically Ginza. (1) Helicopters flew in to see total destruction. The malls and shopping centers had collapsed on top of themselves.

"Ah man, total destruction. There are probably no survivors," one pilot commented into his headset.

Rumble was flying everywhere, Tokyo's usually bright midnight sky darkened by a cloud of debris.

"Wait!" his partner suddenly declared. "Down there! Let's just a bit lower."

The pilot nodded and lowered the helicopter.

His partner looked carefully through his binoculars, scanning each crevice repeatedly. "I see a body! Holy shit..." The man lowered his binoculars and stared at the pilot in horror. "It's a little girl, 16 at the most."

* * *

"Today, in Ginza, without warning at 23:57, (2) almost four entire blocks collapsed into pieces. It was a devastating sight. It looks as if an earthquake magnitude of 7 hit the region, but no earthquake has been reported."

The newscaster's voice rang through stark white walls of a hospital.

"Get me Myou-sama! Where is Haku-san!?" A nurse screamed as she and others wheeled two stretchers down the hallways at break-neck speed.

In the stretchers lay two young girls, covered in blood, wounds, and bruises.

Soi walked strode in quickly, taking over one of the stretchers.

"What in the world? Kino-san?" she began, staring down at the girls.

"They were found in the mess at Ginza, Haku-san."

**"WHAT?"** The group of nurses and interns shouted as they stared down at the girls.

"That is impossible," Soi finally bit out, summarizing everyone's thoughts.

* * *

A tall man with short brown hair sighed as he entered the hallway. He then cracked his neck and shoulders.

"How do you think it will go?" 'Myou-sama' looked up at 'Haku-san' leaning against the wall, still wearing her mask.

"Not sure. There are severe injuries everywhere. I'm shocked at the fact that they were even alive. I mean, on the outside there are only cuts and scrapes, but the inside..." He stopped.

"Internal injuries that made it seem like these girls had been pretty much torn apart," Soi finished.

**'The result of summoning a god,'** she added inwardly.

* * *

Emerald eyes opened slowly as the chestnut haired girl sat up. She turned her side to see a blonde girl sleeping in the next bed over. A nurse then walked in.

"How are you feeling?" She asked the question with a kind smile.

The girl only stared back at her.

"Where am I?" The nurse kept smiling.

"The hospital. Where else?"

The girl stared around. Everything seemed so unfamiliar to her.

"Oh I see."

"Are you hungry?" The girl seemed to smile then. "I thought so."

The woman began setting up a plate for the girl. She watched then as the girl tasted a bit of each dish before practically inhaling everything.

"Woah!" the nurse commanded. "Slow down a bit!"

The girl only nodded and kept going at the same break neck speed. The girl paused suddenly.

"My name," she finally began again. "What is it?" A thud sounded in the room as the nurse collapsed in a dead faint.

* * *

"Amnesia?"

Mitsukake took in a deep breathe as he entered the room as he took the psych chart.

Soi followed him in.

The brunette turned her head to face them. Her deep emerald eyes were expressionless as she watched them.

"Ohayo," Mitsukake greeted. "How are you feeling?"

She completely ignored the question.

"Is my name Miaka? The name sort of came to me earlier."

Soi blinked in surprise as Mitsukake cleared his throat, centering himself.

Before they could say anything, the blonde girl finally stirred.

"Miaka?" she whispered weakly.

She had come in with much worse internal damage than her friend. The health professionals hadn't thought she'd live.

She sat up then and stared at the brunette who stared back at her. The whole room was silent for a moment.

'Miaka' took in a deep breath then, swallowing slowly.

"Yui?" she whispered quietly. The blonde cracked a smile in return.

* * *

_**(Present day)**_

"Come on Chiriko!" Tamahome pressed on the agent.

It had been three days since Miaka had frozen down on him, and he was getting sick of it. He wanted answers, so he went to the best resource. That just happened to fellow agent, Ou Doukun, a.k.a. Chiriko.

The younger agent at the moment was hacking into confidential files of high security.

"Maybe you should just ask Yuki-san. I'm sure she'd tell you," he began. Tamahome returned his comment with a sardonic smile.

"Chiriko, if Miaka would've just told me, why in fuck's name would I be here?" he snarled.

Chiriko winced and turned back to his screen.

The door then opened silently as a tall vampire walked into the room.

"Isn't it against policy to go into confidential files of any agent?" Tamahome and Chiriko jumped to face Soi as she leaned against the door, a glint in her normally sparkle-free eyes. "Go ahead and leave Chiriko-kun. I need to talk with Tamahome-kun."

The younger agent nodded and left the room quickly. Tamahome stared at Soi uneasily.

"So what did you need to talk about, Soi-san?"

"That depends. What do you think?" she answered back, softly.

Tamahome watched her for a moment and then sat down in Chiriko's empty chair.

"You do realize you could've lost your position if anyone besides me had come in here. You should be more careful," she murmured as she walked past him.

Tamahome caught her hand then, causing the vampire to look down.

"I need to know Soi-san, what happened. I have dreams at night about these people I've never met. A girl who looks just her and another like Yui. An emperor and a very feminine man. I sometimes even see Chichiri and Tasuki. I don't know if it's really them, but it feels like them."

Soi stared at him for a moment, studying him and then closed her eyes.

"Do you know about the unexplainable destruction of Ginza, five years ago?"

Tamahome stared at her in confusion but nodded none the less.

"There were only two bodies found in the whole area. Rescue teams had brought them in, and I was called to help with the care. Little girls, Tamahome-kun. They were little girls. And we didn't think they'd live. But they pulled through, and when they awoke, we realized that they did not know of anything else besides their names."

She opened her eyes, an unreadable expression on her face.

"But they had family right?" Tamahome asked, uneasily.

"Not even JUDSA's expansive sources contained any information regarding any kind of relation." She then stared at him coldly. "If I find out that you've ever repeated this knowledge to anyone else, I will have your head, Tamahome."

Soi then turned around and left the room.

Tamahome stared after her in shock. It looked like the pacifist nurse wasn't as pacifist as she seemed.

* * *

_"Jaané (3), if you don't wake up, you won't get to see how this looks. And anyway, you've been sleeping the entire day, wake up already!"_

Tomo woke with a gasp as he sat up. Cradling his head in his hands, he took in a deep breath, calming down his irate heartbeat.

"Niichan? You awake?" The vampire jumped and then scolded himself, calling out to the vampire girl.

"Hai. Why? You need something, Saori?" The mouse-haired girl appeared before him, smiling.

"No. It's just that you've been sleeping pretty long. I was wondering if something was wrong." She paused then, giving the older vampire a through look. "Is something the matter?" she questioned, worry flooding her features.

Tomo gave her a reassuring smile.

"Of course not. Now what are you doing home? Shouldn't you be wasting someone's money?"

She laughed as she got up and walked to the kitchen.

Tomo watched her go and relaxed. The dream unnerved him. "I was such an ass," he muttered.

"Though I'm tempted to agree, I suppose I should know why you 'were' an ass."

The ebony haired male jumped and whirled around to see Nakago standing on his balcony.

"I hate you."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. Though he heard more than enough of this kind of comments when the vampire had a killer hangover, he wasn't used to hearing them when the vampire was well.

"You're not having a good day, are you?" he asked calmly.

"Do I look like I'm having a good day?" the prince snarled back.

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Nakago then took up a perch on the coffee table in front of the dark haired vampire.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Tomo opened his eyes and stared at the blonde for a moment.

Nakago, meanwhile, gave the vampire a through look. His gaze then stopped on the large gash taking up most of the vampire's forearm. He reached over, plucking the male's wrist and turning it so he could inspect the wound more clearly.

"It hasn't healed."

"I know."

Nakago looked up into Tomo's amber eyes. The two stared at each other, trying to break the other's resolve.

"When was the last time you had any blood?"

The vampire didn't answer.

Sighing, Nakago left go of his wrist and pulled up his own sleeve, revealing his pale flesh. He then handed his arm to the vampire before him. Tomo took his arm into his hands and stared at it.

"I feel like I'm abusing my privileges or something. I mean, normal vampires can only drink from their mate and here I can drink from anyone," he murmured before biting into the vein at the blonde's wrist.

"That's what you get for being the prince of vampires," the blonde remarked as he allowed the affects of the other vampire's venom to numb his sense of pain.

_"Don't call me that,"_ the dark haired vampire hissed through their telepathic connection.

Nakago just scoffed as Tomo kept drinking.

It was strange, Nakago mused, thinking of the skinny male before him as the prince of vampires. But it was the truth and he was the Prince's guardian; something he'd been since he had run into Tomo after being turned into a vampire almost half a century ago.

After a moment, Tomo stopped drinking; removing his fangs from the pale flesh and running his tongue over the wound to release the therapeutic enzymes that would help it heal.

Nakago took back his arm then, lowering his sleeve to cover the wound. He gave the male before him another look, nodding as color seemed to flow back into his skin. The gash on his arm also began to close slowly.

"Take the day off. I'll reschedule your studio time."

Tomo looked up at Nakago as the blonde stood up.

"The guys are going to kill me," he commented, closing his eyes as the feeling of his body digesting the blood began to slow down everything.

"They'll have to deal. We can't have you walking around injured," Nakago replied, walking over to the balcony. "Get some sleep."

Tomo smiled sleepily as he lay back down, sinking into the leather cushions of the couch.

Nakago shook his head and then faced the unwavering sun. Casting a last glance at the sleeping vampire as he stood on the railing, he turned to face the open street and jumped.

* * *

Soi took in a deep breath as she sipped her coffee.

There was no denying it. His scent screamed it. Tamahome was a vampire.

She sighed. When had things become so complicated?

She then closed her eyes, reliving memories of the past. Blonde hair flashed before her eyes as a sharp cackle sounded in her sensitive ears. Yells, screams, and blood littered her thoughts along with love, war, friendship, and betrayal.

Setting down her cup, she straightened her shoulders and stalked back to her duties. Regret was for romantics and fools. She didn't have the time for it. She had work to do.

* * *

"That was the most awkward experience of my life," Miaka finally announced as Yui and she walked through the dark alleys towards Yui's car.

"Definitely. That's one going down in the record books," the blonde added.

They had been invited to karaoke with some colleagues and their spouses, but the two girls felt horribly out of the place, being so much younger and single.

Currently, the two were walking, kicking stones as they headed into shadier streets.

Yui looked up then and frowned.

"Isn't that Soi?" she asked, pointing up at a tall figure dressed in that trademark trench walking out of the small alley.

Miaka stared at the figure and then nodded.

"Yeah, it is. But what's she doing here?"

* * *

Soi thanked the woman stepped out into the dark street.

She then stopped short as her nose caught the scent of a werewolf. Straightening up, the vampire rolled her shoulders, loud cracks snapping in the silent air. Setting down her bags, she slid her keys into her pocket and looked up.

"So what'll be gentlemen?" she called out. "Come out so I can mutilate your mangy hides or I play cat and hunt you down one by one?"

A scoff and a growl answered her as seven burly males stepped out into the light cast from the store.

"Well well. Look at this. We've got ourselves a little she-vampire all by her lonesome self," the closet to her remarked with a dark chuckle. He then turned back to Soi. "Where's your mate, girly? Doesn't he know not to let his female roam alone?"

Soi rolled her eyes.

"I walk alone." Another one raised an eyebrow then.

"Alone, she says!" he parroted, laughing up a storm.

Meanwhile, Soi closed her eyes and stripped off her trench coat. The noise stopped as the werewolves stared at her. She opened her eyes then, gazing at them with red bloodlust irises. She smirked then revealing her fangs at their true length.

"I think I'm in the mood for wolf today," she remarked as her nails lengthened into claws.

Growling, the werewolves changed before her eyes, their faces shifting to accommodate large and gruesome teeth along with facial hair and ears.

"We'll see about that, she-vampire."

* * *

Both Yui and Miaka blinked in surprise as the huge, burly males attacked the lonesome nurse.

Yui cocked her to the side.

"5 to 1. Is that fair?"

Miaka stared at the fight before turning to smile at Yui.

"Not in my book!"

The two shared a grin as they ran and leaped into the fray.

* * *

Soi looked up in surprise as two of the werewolves went down. She cursed as she recognized the brunette and blonde. Growling, she punched the nearest werewolf in the gut. She needed to get the girls away from this.

A fist slammed into her face, stopping her movement. The vampire reached up and touched her cheek. She then looked down and spit out blood.

"You're dead," she growled at her attacker, pulling out her blade from her coat.

"Hey! Let go, you overgrown mutt!"

Soi turned to growl as her gaze fell upon Miaka.

The leader of group was holding her up, sniffing at her. His expression then changed.

"Lookie here boys. We've got ourselves a human!" he crowed with delight.

His grin then faded as he turned to stare at the vampire. Her eyes had changed, the irises back to their silver tone. He dropped Miaka, staggering back as Soi's sclera (4) turned blood red.

"Leave now and I might spare your mangy hides."

The werewolves scattered immediately. None of them were a match for a vampire as old as her, especially with how much bloodlust had entered her eyes. She would be unstoppable.

Both Yui and Miaka stared the vampire as she picked up her things.

"Ano... Soi? Wha--" Yui started.

"Car. Now." The blonde raised an eyebrow as she shut up and followed the vampire's orders.

* * *

Both girls watched the vampire cooked silently, her body taut with anger.

Each time, the knife hit the board, Miaka could imagine the face of the one of goons they had gone up against earlier being smashed.

Soi stopped then, pulling a glass from a cabinet and filling it with ice. Opening a higher cupboard, Soi pulled out a scotch bottle and filled her glass.

Finally, Yui spook up.

"Okay. So why are you so mad at us and what was up with your eyes?"

Soi turned to face her. Her eyes were now back to normal, white sclera and silver irises.

"Why am I mad? **Why am I mad?** You two could have gotten killed or worse! **Bitten!**" She sighed then, closing her eyes and pinching her nose.

Yui raised a finger. "Question: What are you?"

"A vampire."

Miaka's eyes widened as she sat there. Unconsciously, she shifted closer to Yui.

Sighing, Soi sat down before them.

"Yes, I can walk in sunlight. No, garlic doesn't bother me in way what-so-ever."

"What about blood?" the brunette asked shakily.

"Vampires only drink the blood of their mates." Both girls relaxed visibly.

"Ano..." Miaka began, trying to form the question in her mind.

"Yes?"

"What kind of joke is this?" Yui finished. "Come on Soi. You didn't think we'd believe that, did you?"

The vampire then stared deeply into the blonde's eyes.

_"Oh! Is that so? Well, do you believe me now?"_ Yui jumped at the sound of Soi's voice in her mind.

"How did you do that?" The vampire smirked.

"Telepathic communication." Yui stared at her in shock.

"I'm sorry. A what?"

The vampire rolled her eyes.

"I spoooke with myyyy miiind to yooooours," she annunciated carefully, exaggerating her vowels. The blonde glared at the poke at her intelligence.

"Okay. So why were you freaking out earlier?"

"You two could have been doggie chow." Both girls stared at her skeptically. "Those men were werewolves, and you two would've made a great midnight snack for them."

"Oh."

The vampire stood up then.

"You know what? You two need to get some sleep. You have an early morning tomorrow. We can talk this to death later"

Both girls watched as the tall vampire walked down the hall and entered the last room. The door closed with a definite click. Yui stood up then.

"You know what? I'm going to bed and when I wake up; I hope I've left this twilight zone."

* * *

_(A/N): Ergh... I really don't like this last scene. It's not a good as the rest of the chapter. Frankly, I really like the scene between Nakago and Tomo, that probably being my favorite of the chapter._

_Notes -_

_(1) Ginza - Ginza is Tokyo's shopping district. It has everything, I tell you. Everything._

_(2) 23: 57 - I use a 24-hour clock. In a 12-hour clock, it means 11:57 pm._

_(3) Jaané - Hindi word meaning "life". Used a term of endearment to show that recipient is the person's life._

_(4) Sclera - the white part of the visible eye._

_So yes, Tamahome is a vampire and Tomo is a prince. Confused yet?_

_Ja!_

**[A/N]: (12/25/09)** Sorry that this isn't really an update!

So while working on chapter 3, I realized that I've changed Soi's character a bit. She's not as melancholy as I had written her before, and I wanted to keep it consistent. So I re-worked this chapter to fit. I think I also made Nakago less weird and the girls more likeable.

I guess that my style has changed so much that I just focused to keep the original feeling while making it more stream-lined.

I'll probably go back on re-work chapter one and the prologue after I finish chapter 4 and post it. It's a huge chapter, so look out for it!

Merry Christmas everyone!


	4. Sector 74

**Chapter Three - Sector 74**

**(1:16)**

Soi sighed as she lay in her sheets.

She couldn't sleep. The events of yesterday, the attack at the grocers and having to confront the girls left her had left her unsettled. She finally sat up, sighing, and turned her head to stare out through her balcony doors.

It was late, but still early enough that the sky was dark and cloudless. Standing up, Soi walked over and opened a door to her balcony, stepping out into the chilly air. She didn't seem to mind, even though she was dressed only in panties and a loose tee shirt. The vampire's eyes focused on the distant skyline. Something had her on edge. But what? She had no clue.

Sighing, Soi walked back into her room, leaving the mystery for when her brain was more awake or at least, she had some coffee. So engrossed, she didn't notice the pair of eyes watching from across the streets, two floors down.

* * *

**(5:00)**

The insistent ringing roused Yui from her dreams. Groaning, she rolled over. Reaching out, the blond slammed her alarm clock off with the heel of her hand. Sighing, she snuggled back into her pillow.

_"Yui-sama, get out of bed! You'll be late otherwise."_ The blonde jerked awake at the sound of Soi's voice ringing in her head and moaned. She was still in that twilight zone! Then it wasn't a dream after all? _Shimatta!_

* * *

**(5:00)**

"How long have you been awake?" Tomo turned to face Nakago.

"Before dawn." The blonde frowned in surprise, rising from the black chair he had been sitting in.

It wasn't normal for the dark-haired vampire to be up like so early. He usually slept like a teenager; well into the day. His skin was off-color too. Rather than the usual golden-cream, he looked as white as a sheet.

"Something's bothering you," he finally concluded. The prince strode over to the balcony, leaning on the railing as he looked out at the distant skyline.

"I haven't heard my wife's voice in three days," he whispered after a moment. Laughing wryly, Tomo turned back around then. "Is that obsessive?" he asked.

Nakago's lips quirked.

"A little," he teased lightly and then sobered. "You should start getting ready though."

Tomo raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Performance tonight. Sector 74 at 22'o'clock."

The prince frowned.

"What? A performance? I don't remember scheduling one, nor agreeing to one. When did we decide on this?"

Tomo stopped and narrowed his eyes at the blonde.

"Ayuru," he began, calling the vampire with his true name. "You better not be pulling my leg."

Again, the blonde only quirked his lips.

"Don't worry. I'm not," he reassured as he picked his coat of the chair, pulling it on. He grinned wickedly then. "This time at least." He turned around then, heading for the door as the prince glared daggers at his back all the while.

* * *

**(6:00)**

"Floor Minus 2, Command," the elevator announced as Yui and Miaka stepped off it.

The girls sighed as they walked towards their shared mini-office. Both were still reeling from the revelations given to them the night before. Who would've thought that vampires and werewolves really existed? It felt like something out of a horror movie.

"Hongo, Yuki!" a tall young man greeted. "Come on. We're gonna be late," he called as he walked past them.

The girls shrugged but followed him to the computers pit. Yui immediately took her seat next to Chiriko while Miaka continued onto the overlooking edge where Tasuki stood.

"Glad to see you all here," he began gruffly.

"You all are familiar with the name Santoshi Hideno? (1) Santoshi was quite infamous back when he was in whole opium scandal four years ago. But recently, he's been quiet. Not anymore it seems. Control panel at Parliament has been monitoring him and now we have opportunity to send him to the slammer. As you should know, Santoshi has never been a member of the Yazuka. Rather, he's been a rival, creating his own gang."

Tasuki paused then as Chichiri entered. The two exchanged looks before the smiling official greeted everyone.

"As Tasuki was saying, no da. Santoshi and the Yazuka have not been on good terms, but that's about to change. There have been rumors of an alliance and they have now been confirmed, no da. Santoshi plans to meet with Yazuka members tonight at the popular nightclub, Sector 74. I'm sure you've heard of the place."

Murmurs ripped through the agents, all muttering about the club.

"So the lowdown is," Tasuki finally announced. "We'll be sending four agents in undercover, and have two teams outside, at nearby locations. I will be with one of them. We will call in the four agents later. That's all for now. Dismissed!"

The group scattered; Chichiri walking away in one direction, being accompanied by agents trying to get the undercover positions. Tasuki, however, approached the tall nurse who just walked in from her hospital shift.

"Soi-san, when you have a minute, would you come by my office?" The vampire nodded, watching with amused bafflement as the higher ranking officer walked away from, shaking his hands off.

* * *

**(10:00)**

"What did you want to speak about Tasuki-san?" Soi finally asked. She was starting to get a headache from watching the red-head pace back and forth across his office, creating a grove in the center of room.

"You know about Santoshi, of course?" he asked, without stopping.

She nearly rolled her eyes, amused. Everyone in the country knew of the man. "Yes sir, of course."

Tasuki then stopped to face her, his terra cotta eyes staring into hers. "We want you to be one of people on the you do it?"

Soi paused for a moment, resisting the urge to raise her eyebrows before composing herself.

"Of course. My job is to help out as much as I can," she answered. "But why would you choose me?"

The red-head went silent, his cheeks coloring.

"Because-you're-**aboslutely-banging**-If-we-want-Santoshi-we're-gonna-need-someone-**who'll-keep-him-occupied**-You're-the-only-one-who-can-**catch-**a-person's-**complete-attention-**like-that," he muttered out quickly.

Deciding not to ask him to repeat the sentence for her amusement, the vampire just bowed her head and left the room.

* * *

**(10:30)**

Tamahome looked up as Miaka and Yui entered the large office. It was Tasuki's office, and they had been called down to it.

"Got any ideas to why we're here?" he asked, breaking the ice.

Miaka just shrugged sitting down, while the blonde scanned over the room.

"If not for the Santoshi mission, then we're screwed," she finally answered.

Tamahome rolled his eyes.

"Gee, that was really helpful. I feel so much better now," the vampire snapped back.

Yui sat down and stared around until she noticed that the male had his hand over his mouth.

"Tamahome, why are you touching your teeth?" The vampire jumped and just grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, you know. Nervous habit," he answered, lying through his pearly whites. How was he supposed to explain the throbbing in his canines due to his lust for her brunette best friend?

He was saved from any more questions when the door flew open and Tasuki walked in.

"Good, you're all here." The red-head walked around to his desk and sat down.

"Let's just cut to the chase. I want you three to go undercover inside the club. Wait," he paused for a moment, biting his cheek. "No, I want Hongo and Yuki inside. Sukanami, you'll be playing bouncer. Girls, you'll have to dress the part though. _Sparkle, glitter, bling, whatever it takes._ Sukanami, keep a tab on everyone inside. I want you all to report to my office at 21:00, in costume. Understood?" The three nodded and stood up.

"Yes sir," they recited together. "We won't let you down!" Tasuki nodded and waved his hand.

"Dismissed."

* * *

**(10:40)**

"You know that twilight zone you were talking about?" Miaka began as the girls entered their shared room. "I get it now. I mean, can you believe this?"

Yui sighed and sat down in her chair, massaging her temples as the brunette ranted.

Suddenly, Miaka spun back around.

"Wait, _**what are we going to wear**_?" the brunette shrieked.

Yui blinked, realizing the dilemma and threw her head back. Sector 74 and its patrons were known for their over-the-top flamboyant style, a mix of visual kei and 1920s' flapper glam. It was like something out of a really cheesy majou-shoujo comic or maybe Vegas.

"Fuck me," she murmured tiredly. "I knew I shouldn't have skimped on buying the nicer ofuda when we were at the shrine. Fucking karma."

* * *

**(12:40)**

"Welcome back Gi-sama." Nakago tipped his head at his secretary as her fingers flew over the keys of her scheduler.

Striding over to the large opaque glass doors, he opened them and entered his office. A disk already sat on his desk, waiting to be looked at.

As he finally sat down, the doors opened again as a tall brunette woman entered the room. Dressed in camel colored slacks and a white silk shirt, she exuded an air of elegance with her simple diamond studs and thin gold wristwatch.

Nakago raised an eyebrow as he recognized her.

"Shinaki-san, what a surprise," he began.

The woman smiled, but it didn't reach her chocolate eyes. She then walked over to the window wall, touching the glass softly.

"The last time I was here, I came as the owner's granddaughter. Today," she paused, turning back to face him. "Today, **I** enter as the owner."

"It's hard, isn't it?" he asked, pulling out a chair for her to sit on. She nodded, sitting down. "Such a large responsibility on one so young," he murmured as he walked over to the bar in the darkest corner of the room.

"You cannot be much older then I, Gi-san," she remarked back.

"Appearances can be deceiving." The door opened again as Tomo stepped through.

"Na-," he began, stopping as his gaze fell on the woman. "Am I interrupting something?"

He looked better; more color in his skin and his eyes looked more alive.

"No. Of course not," Nakago assured, setting down his glass. "Shinaki-san, this is Ryo Chuin. I'm sure you know of him."

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" Tomo only smiled charmingly.

"Chuin, this is Shina-..."

"Shinaki Yumi. It's hard to mistake such an unforgettable face."

A sharp ring stopped the prince in his words. Yumi dug into her bag and pulled out a cell phone. She listened for a moment and then slipped the phone back into her purse, sighing.

"I wonder how Ojiisan put up with this," she muttered as she got up. "Have a nice day gentlemen," she bid with a smile as she turned around and left.

As the door closed, Tomo took in a deep breath.

"What?" The prince sighed.

"You know how they say if you knew a person in their previous life, you can recognize their re-incarnated form?"

He took a pause, smiling wryly at the blonde. "My instincts are ringing again."

Nakago turned to face the door Yumi had left from.

"No, not her," Tomo whispered softly.

He knew who the blonde had hoped Yumi was. That hope always brought life to his eyes. And every time, when it wasn't her, he felt the blonde's pain as if it were his own.

Nakago grounded himself and asked. "Then who?"

"Do you remember a young emperor who seemed so lonely and yet he believed in legend, enough to die for it and for his people?"

"Hotohori?" Nakago asked incredulously. "I didn't drink anything this morning. Did you?"

"No! Of course not, you ass!" the prince barked back, glaring.

* * *

**(19:56)**

"You cold?" The question came from Tamahome as he stared down at the shivering girl sitting next to him.

It was 19:56 and Tamahome and both girls had arrived. Only the fourth member remained. Sighing, he wrapped an arm around Miaka's creamy shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?" Miaka broke through chatters.

"Trying to warm you up. What else?" The brunette glared at the man, but snuggled closer into him none-the-less.

Yui grinned as she watched them.

Her smile widened as she caught sight of Miaka's blush. The two were hopeless. Chuckling, the blonde continued placing shuriken and kunai in the hidden pockets of her bejeweled outfit.

She wore a pair of high cut shorts with a strappy tank and strappy stilettos. Done in baby blue along with ridiculously large accessories, the jeweled outfit was a bit too shiny for the blonde's tastes.

_'I look like some kind of casino dancer or a reject from Pink Lady,'_ she thought with a grimace.

Miaka, on the other hand, wasn't doing any better shape in a ruby-red pencil skirt and a backless top with a just as immodest neckline.

The brunette growled over how her feet hurt and the fact that she could barely move. How was she expected to fight in this ridiculous get up?

"I better get a raise for this," she muttered darkly. The male vampire looked down at her, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Oh, nothing," she reassured cheekily, swearing mentally all the while.

"Nice get-ups girls," a smooth voice remarked. The three turned to face their last member and gawked.

Soi stood before them in a kimono-style minidress done in a black with embroidery in shades of pinks, gold, and oranges with a flame-red obi. The tall vampire had paired the scandalously short dress with golden chopsticks in her hair and golden gladiator stilettos on her feet.

**"Woah."**

"Are you done gawking?" the female vampire asked amusedly. "I believe Tasuki-san is waiting." The three agents turned to face the red-head who muttering curses at _'Idiot, time-wasting agents'_.

"Anyway, glad to see you all made _in costume_," he began, referring to the three females.

"Exchange is at 23:30. Keep a low profile till then; make to have a distraction ready up your sleeves if needed. We will be in contact with you all, but you won't be able to communicate back. Amongst yourselves, however, keep sharing information. One of you ladies has to serve Santoshi, no matter what."

Chichiri then entered the room.

"I have set up the two teams. You four should set you ear-piece frequencies to 3. However, you won't be able to communicate with the outside teams due to interference from the club's own tech. Also, you may have to evacuate the club. Don't hesitate to do so. Now, codenames. Miaka, you will be under **Ruby**. Yui, **Sapphire**. Tamahome, **Pyro**, and Soi, you will be called **Ice**. You should leave now. Good luck agents."

"Thank you sir," the three agents chorused.

* * *

**(20:07)**

Soft clicks of shoes hitting the concrete were heard as the four entered the garage. Yui turned to face the others.

"So what do we take?" she asked.

"You have a V6 right?" Tamahome questioned back.

"Yeah."

He grinned then.

"We're taking your car."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she turned back around and headed for her black devil. Soi, however, walked past the car to a black and red superbike. Hopping onto to it, she grabbed over her helmet.

"Soi, are you really gonna ride that?" the blonde asked as she opened her door.

The female vampire smiled wickedly.

_"What do you think?"_

Sighing, Yui sat down. Closing her eyes, she listened to the revving of the engine as Tamahome flew the car out into the streets.

* * *

**(20:07)**

"Yo, what's up?"

Nakago looked up as a lanky, electric blue-haired vampire entered the room.

"You're late Jin," an orange haired vampire snapped.

"Ahh, can it Li. At least I'm sober, right?" the lanky vampire quipped back.

A brunette fiddling with drumsticks rolled his eyes as the green-haired vampire next to him kept on braiding back his thick brown locks.

Tomo finally entered the room, frowning as he glanced over his bandmates. Sighing, he grabbed a magazine, whacking Li on the head with it.

"Quit messing with my cell. Jin, put down the rum." He then turned his eyes to the couch at the back of room. "And just what the hell are you doing with Shang's hair, Rei? Gods!"

The prince exhaled sharply as he sat down.

The four rainbow haired vampires looked up in worry.

"What's wrong, man?" Shang asked calmly.

Tomo flicked his golden eyes to the man and then away.

"I need to get drunk," the vampire prince replied as he stood up and headed for the bar.

The four vampires shared concerned looks. The prince almost never drank before a show. Something was wrong.

* * *

**(20:21)**

Yui cracked open her eyes as the deep humming of her car stopped. Getting out, she stretched out, cracks resounding in the air around her as she bent her neck from side to side.

"Ready to do this?" The blonde looked up at Tamahome and offered him a smirk.

"What do you think?" she replied, sending Soi's words to him.

Tamahome smirked back.

The four entered the club, heading for the manager at the back. Tamahome just nodded at the manager and walked back out, his arm brushing against Miaka's back. The manager then walked up to them.

Miaka found herself raising an eyebrow at the girl's fluorescent pink bob with dirt brown roots peaking out and garish orange lipstick.

"So you girls will be filling in?" she asked between loud gum snaps.

Soi stared apathetically as the woman chomped on her gum.

"Alright. Ruby and Sapphire you will be taking the left and mid sections. And you," she paused to looked up and down Soi, measuring the vampire's physique with her eyes, "You will be taking the right wing."

Inwardly praying for patience, both agents and nurse grabbed the palm-pilots used to take orders with and walked off.

"Let's get this show on the road," Yui murmured into her com.

* * *

**(21:01) **

"Hey Ice! Go, grab table 21," a voice called.

Nodding, Soi glided through the mesh of bodies towards the table.

Sitting there were five people of the strangest characters the vampire had seen in a while. Four of them were dressed in attire straight out of a rock concert, but the fifth looked a little out of place.

He was dressed in an immaculate suit; jet black in color, with a navy blue shirt, crisp off-white tie, and a matching handkerchief folded into his outer breast pocket. His face was hidden behind a pair of old aviator style sunglasses. Unusual to say the least.

Taking in a deep breath, Soi approached the table.

"What would you like this evening, gentleman?" she asked in a low voice.

"A jack-knife, two red wine sangrias, and two green tea bombs." Soi internally raised an eyebrow. The man answering her had a safety pin going through his mouth and another through his temple.

The vampire tapped the order into the palm, and turned to the suit clad man.

"And you sir?"

"Whiskey, on the rocks." Soi nodded, and turned around, gliding away.

* * *

**(21:06)**

"Damn!"

Li looked up to see that Tomo had returned from his smoke break.

"Can you say fine?"

The bassist rolled his eyes as Jin and Rei cracked up. It seemed like their prince was back to his normal jovial self.

"What'd you guys order me anyway?" Tomo asked as he sat down.

"A jack-knife."

Tomo nodded as he scanned the club, and then sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"So what? We wait now?" Li asked as he stretched his hands.

"That blows," Rei remarked dryly, munching on a handful of peanuts.

The rest nodded in agreement, but the blonde vampire in the corner sighed.

"Relax gentlemen. You'll get your chance," he murmured.

Shang snorted at that.

"The last time we were gentle-_men_ was fucking _eons_ ago, Gi-sama," Rei replied back drolly.

Tomo grinned at that and then looked up to see the waitress gliding towards them, a tray easily balanced on one hand. She walked over silently, setting down the drinks, only the whisky going to its owner. Through the darkness, he could only make out a pair of glinting iron colored eyes.

"Call if you need anything else. Have a nice night gentlemen."

And she was gone, leaving the group of vampires with only the lingering aroma of lavender.

Tomo watched as the rest grabbed their drinks, and then slowly grabbed his own.

"Lavender, sweet lavender; come and buy my lavender, hide it in your trousseau, lady fair. Let its flovely fragrance flow, over you from head to toe, lightening on your eyes, your cheek, your hair, (2)" he quoted with a far away look before taking a sip.

"Lavender?" Rei asked, choking on his drink.

Shang and Li laughed into their drinks as Jin hit the vampire's back repeatedly. Shang then turned to face the prince.

"Why did you quote that poem about lavender, Chuin?" The prince set down his drink and threw his head back, sighing almost regrettably.

"It's complicated; I guess is the best way to put it. Lavender always reminds me of when I was human. It takes me back. I used to know someone with that particular scent. It suited her really well. I-"

He cut off abruptly as Nakago stared quietly, not at him, but through him, his thoughts also on that person who smelled of lavender. An image of a sensual form perfect to every detail, lengthy brown hair, a heart shaped face, and silver eyes filled with compassion and love filled his mind.

Tomo then brought his head back down and quirked his lips. "But that was ages ago," he finished before downing his drink.

* * *

**(21:50)**

Yui's eyes scanned over the club as she walked back to the bar with an empty tray.

A flyer on the wall caught her attention. 'Ryo Chuin', it read, 'Performing here exclusively! 22:00! Hear his new hits and some of his old!' The rest of the advertisement was ripped off, and so the blonde moved on.

"Ladies, our guest has arrived." Yui's back straightened immediately as Tamahome's warning came through her com.

Both the blonde and Miaka turned to face the door. They watched silently as a tall, bulky man walked in. He wore a black suit with a red shirt and napkin, a gangster hat covering his face; dressed to fit in with the other patrons of the club.

"Hey Ruby! Sapphire! Quit slacking off!" Both agents jumped and want to the nearest table.

Yui then looked up and saw a waitress approaching Santoshi's table.

"Ice!" she hissed into her com. "Get to Santoshi! Now!"

The blonde held her breath as the vampire immediately glided over to the mobster, reaching there before the other girl, who just shrugged and headed for another table. Sighing in relief, Yui turned back to her own table.

* * *

Soi cursed as she reached the table, her foot scuffing against the ground. She straightened up and then cleared her throat softly, getting the mobster's attention.

"What can I get you?"

He first looked at her feet and traveled up, his eyes pausing for a moment at her breasts, before moving up to her face. He smiled then, thoroughly disgusting the vampire.

"Well, sweetheart, there's a lot of things you could _give_ me," he replied, emphasizing the 'give' rather than 'get'.

The vampire rolled her eyes, and took in a deep breath. _'I heard better lines when I was thirteen and stuck in a brothel,'_ ran through her head as she masked her disgusted amusement.

"How about a jack-knife with extra whiskey to start you off?" she finally questioned back.

"I'll take anything you give me, honey." The vampire nodded, before turning away.

Suddenly, the club plunged into silent darkness. A lone guitar riff broke the tension.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." Soi looked up as a spotlight shone on a dark-haired man.

She recognized the musicians behind him as the men she had served earlier but not him.

He was dressed in leather pants, clinging for dear life on his narrow hips, and a black singlet with a gothic ankh hung from a brown leather cord slung around his neck. An arm band was tied around his bicep, and a ton of bracelets were tied around his left wrist while a spiked wristband had taken the other.

The vampire blinked and smiled slowly, muttering _'good taste'_ under her breath.

"Are you ready for some action?" he asked, smirking as he fixed the strap of his guitar. "Cause we sure are!"

Silence.

"I wanna have your baby!" screamed a voice from the back of the club.

"Heh. Sure. If my wife's cool with it." Cheers erupted through the club as girls screamed 'I love you Ryo Chuin!' over and over again, as the singer himself placed the mike back on the stand.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Miaka hissed into her com. "Why weren't we informed about a concert happening today? No wonder there's so many fucking people here!"

* * *

Tamahome rolled his eyes.

"Damn it all to hell," he swore.

* * *

"Wait. I think I did read about this," Yui suddenly commented, "but the flyer didn't say what day it was going to be."

("**Sapphire!**") The blonde grimaced at the sound of Tamahome and Miaka's combined shriek.

"Do you guys wanna make me deaf?" she shrieked back.

("**Enough! Acting like children is not going to help this. Yes, this is a problem, but guess what? We're going to have to work around this. And that can only be done if we cooperate. Understood?**")

Tamahome and Miaka were silent. Yui sighed then. The edge in Soi's voice booked no leeway for argument.

"Understood."

("Understood.")

("Understood.")

With that, the connection was severed as the bass and the drums suddenly started, a fast and fun rhythm spreading through the club. The guitarist also added in as the singer was already on his own.

"And I really like his stuff. Too bad I can't enjoy it!" the blonde trilled before spinning back to work.

* * *

_**"Ware ni tsuzuke saa ikou karadajuu no kara wo yaburi  
Sarakedasu Ai wo tsunagou dakishimeai tashikameai "**_

The main guy started singing, his velvety voice sensually spewing the words.

Soi paused to listen. His voice sounded familiar, it's deep, soothing capacity calming her nerves. Soi closed her eyes for a moment, drowning her mind into it. Her face softened for a moment as she lost herself. The vampire opened her eyes then and turned around, heading back to give Santoshi his drink.

"Hey sweetheart, why don't you sit with me? Take a load off those pretty feet of yours?" the mobster offered.

The vampire smirked as she silently pulled away and left.

("Getting it on Ice?") The vampire rolled her eyes at Tamahome's voice.

"He's got more suave than you, Pyro," she replied back.

"_**Yurameku rakuen made shissoku shinai Maccha kurenai  
Tsukami totte yarusa tabun stairs to the seventh  
Running up to heaven, Yeah!"**_

* * *

Tamahome scoffed at the vampire's statement.

"More suave than me, my ass," he muttered with amusement, smirking at the line of people trying to get in.

* * *

Soi, as she walked away from Santoshi's table, watched as he pulled out his cell phone. Giving her tray to another waitress, she snuck back behind the man, listening carefully to the conversation.

The vampire frowned as she made out that someone was against the exchange, and Santoshi didn't like it as he growled and argued back. He abruptly hung up then, scowling darkly. Soi then slipped away.

"People, something's up. Santoshi was just on his cell, and it sounds like someone doesn't want to go through with the exchange. Santoshi is, but still, keep your eyes and ears open," Soi warned into her com.

* * *

("How is it going?") Tasuki's voice sounded through the com.

"So far, we know that Santoshi has entered the building, sir," Chiriko replied as his hands flew over the keyboard, typing at a furious pace. Chichiri stood behind him, an unreadable expression upon his face.

("What's wrong Chiri?") The said man sighed, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath.

"Nothing. I'm just worried. That's all," he responded into his com.

* * *

_**"Kirameita ruri-iro ga mune ni sasari omoishirasareru  
Egaite ita miraizu ni kimi ga ukabu"**_

Tomo grinned as he sang into the mike.

This was what he truly desired. To be on stage, performing in front of screamed devotion. It was like a drug, so addictive.

He had started doing it so many years ago, and now, the prince couldn't stop. He'd always come back into the limelight with a new persona, and a new outlook on the world. He just couldn't live without it.

He was like a chameleon, but it felt so natural, as if this was what he was made for. Born for.

* * *

Nakago watched silently as the dark haired vampire poured his heart and soul into his voice.

The way his expression changed, or the tone of his voice grew darker. The prince thrived for the stage.

"Always a performer, Tomo?" he muttered as he sipped his whiskey.

The liquid flowed through his veins, damaging his liver only to have it heal itself. An advantage of being a vampire, he mused silently, your body will repair itself, no matter what. It could be very slow, but it would always happen.

"_**Kimi ni saishuuteki na question. Doko ni sonzai suruka heaven?  
Hinto wa nai The answer in a minute thirty one."**_

* * *

Yui bit her cheek as she kept herself from turning and attacking someone as she felt another hand rub her derriere.

She watched Miaka dealt with a drunk teen from where she stood, and listened to Tamahome's growling through her com.

Grinning, the blonde deduced that it wasn't so bad to have her derriere rubbed and kept moving.

* * *

Nakago watched as Tomo nearly ate the mike as he belted out the lyrics. Pulling his cellphone out of his inner breast pocket, the blonde vampire sent a message to Tomo's wife. He had had enough of the sulking prince, even if said prince would rather kill him than admit it.

* * *

Tomo watched as the crowd screamed the lyrics along with him.

The prince grinned as his eyes flew over a pair of girls who looked too young to even step in a club.

His eyes then fell on a petite brunette waitress. She looked familiar to him. But from where? He didn't know.

His eyes moved to where his _**boss**_ sat. Tomo's eyes slightly narrowed as he could barely make out a smirk on the blonde's face. Why did he feel like he was gonna want to kill the blonde once he found out what that smirk meant?

_**"Daremo kare mo saa kina itsumo iruyo kangei shiyou  
sono te de omouzonbun Stairs to the seventh.  
Running up to heaven, Yeah!"**_

* * *

Putting on a straight face, the young man slipped his gun into the back of his pants. He then placed his biker gloves on. Brushing his sandy hair out of his face, he walked into the darkness of the night. He then pulled out his sniper rifle. Hopefully, the mission would go well.

* * *

"Pyro, watch for shady figures. Our subject looks testy," Yui muttered as she passed Santoshi's table. "He's sweating like a pig and keeps messing with his clothes." The blonde paused, pushing a few drunken teens out of her way. "Something smells."

* * *

"Yeah? I smell something. Bullshit. (3)" Tamahome glared at the sniveling people before him. "It's fucking cold out here, some bottle-job-blonde whore with the saggiest fucking boobs I've ever seen keeps trying to seduce me so she can get in, and there's way too much cheap cologne in the area!"

Miaka burst out laughing as the vampire ranted his woes to them.

"Aww you poor baby," she finally cooed after a moment.

The man on stage was keeping her attention, and was also ridiculously sexy to boot. She really couldn't feel any sympathy for the love(lust) of her life.

"So Sapphire, this guy's name is Ryo Chuin, right?"

("Yeah?") Yui answered back.

"Please remind me to get his cds, and maybe, I don't know, 50 posters of him! He is f-i-n-e fine!" She stopped then, rethinking her words. "No, scratch that. He's not fine, he's _**divine!**_"

* * *

"Yeah, he's divine alright. I'ma give that motherfucker some divine intervention if I ever meet him," Tamahome muttered darkly, only the vampire inside catching his words.

* * *

_**"Kimi ni saishuuteki na question. Doko ni sonzai suruka heaven?  
Mayoi wa nai The answer's waiting under your feet."**_

Tomo grinned as the people below him kept screamed. They wanted more and he was more than happy to oblige.

_**" Yurameku rakuen made shissoku shinai Maccha kurenai  
Tsukami totte yarusa tabun stairs to the seventh  
Running up to heaven, Yeah!"**_

* * *

Yui watched as the crowd broke into loud cheering, yells, and whoops as the song ended. The singer smirked, his gold eyes captivating the blonde girl. She had seen them before, but where? The color was so strange; it was like looking into the eyes of a lion or panther. It was eerie, she mused shivering.

"Ready for some more?" he shouted, earning more cheering. He turned, walking towards the other musicians, whispering silkily soft. A fast paced tune began, as the musicians let the sound waves rip through the air.

_**"READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK**_

_**READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK**_

_**READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK**_

_**LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO!"**_

The whole club erupted in an explosion. Yui grimaced as she tried to get through the dozens of bodies, pushing and smashing against each other. The dark haired man spewed another wave as he began the next verse, his velvety voice causing Yui to forget her discomfort momentarily.

_**"fukitonde yuku fukei korugaru you ni mae e**_

_**kurushi magure demo hyouteki wa mou minogasanai,"**_

* * *

Soi's eyes narrowed as she watched someone walk in. Dressed a black trenchcoat with a hat on top. No face was visible, even to the vampire's sharp eyes.

"Ruby. Sapphire. Keep your eyes on 'Trenchcoat' who just walked in. Something is astray."

* * *

Miaka turned and watched the figure that Soi pointed it out. Something was wrong, she could just feel it. Taking in a deep breath, the brunette approached the shady figure.

_**"ate ni naranai chizu yakute shimaeba ii sa**_

_**uzumoreta shinjitsu kono tenohira de tsukami torou"**_

"What can I get you?" she asked, smiling cheerfully. The figure looked up at her, and then turned away.

"Nothing," came the clipped reply. Miaka nodded and walked away.

"Sapphire, something's not right," she whispered into her com. "I have a really bad feeling in my stomach, and you know that my bad feeling is never a hallucination."

* * *

Yui rolled her eyes, knowing that the brunette was right.

"I know. I know. But we can't do anything yet. Just keep an eye on **it**."

_**"hibi ite (yonde) iru kimi no koe**_

_**koko de tachidomaru you na jikan wa nai sa**_

_**READY STEADY GO"**_

* * *

Tomo glanced over the screaming crowd.

Just then, his nose picked up the scent of a werewolf. Very faint, but it was there. His eyes then caught Nakago's, and he knew that the blonde had smelled it too.

He then glanced back at the other musicians. They had also smelled it. Just great. Just fucking great.

He frowned slightly before belting out the next stanza.

_"**kazoe kirenai kizu kakae konde ite mo**_

_**chotto yasotto ja tamashi made wa ubawasenai**_

_**ano oka no mukou de kimi ni deaeta nara**_

_**nani kara hana sou sonna koto bakari omou yo"**_

* * *

Tamahome raised an eyebrow as sounds of commotion reached him. He then watched a group of three male pushed and shoved through, glowering at anyone who didn't move immediately.

They finally reached him.

Before the vampire could say anything, his nose caught the scent of werewolves, and automatically, his canines lengthened to their proper length. He narrowed his eyes then, standing before them as a statue.

The male at the back then moved up, and held of a thick wad of bills in front Tamahome's nose. The vampire smirked thinly, taking the cash, and letting the males past him.

"Ladies, the other half has arrived."

* * *

Yui cursed as she nearly spilt a drink over a man.

"What?" she hissed into her com. "They're early! Did they change the time or something? What the fuck is going on?"

* * *

A silenced bullet shot rang through the air. The man smirked slightly as he watched the figure crumble to the ground. One down, 7 to go.

* * *

_**"muchuu de (hayaku) kake nukete kita**_

_**urusai kurai ni harisake sou na kodou no takanari**_

_**hibite (yonde) iru kimi no koe**_

_**koko de tachidomaru you na jikan wa nai sa**_

_**READY STEADY GO"**_

Soi watched from the corner of her eye as the three gang members walked over to the darkest table, and sat down. Her senses were on fire. Something was going to happen. She just knew it.

The vampire carefully slipped through the area, and grabbed out a package out of her hip holster, and grabbed the tray with the Yazuka's orders, spilling the package into the three drinks. She headed back over to the table and as she passed the blonde, she noticed that the girl was pulling out her kunai, relocating them to different positions for easier access. Yui's cerulean eyes met hers, and they both nodded understandingly.

_**"ARE YOU READY**_

_**READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK**_

_**READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK**_

_**READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK**_

_**LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO"**_

* * *

Tamahome sighed as he watched before him. His nose was killing him, the strong smells around him overpowering it. The hair on the back of his neck stood then as, under all the smells, he caught a whiff of blood, fresh blood.

Suddenly, the light around the vampire faded as a dark shadow fell around him. He looked up a bulky male, raising an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" The man didn't move.

"I'm Rishiko. You the guy that sub-ed in for me?"

"Yeah. So I'm done?" The man nodded, and Tamahome got out of his way, turning around and heading into the club. _'Time for some fun'_, he thought smirking.

* * *

Miaka was muttering curses as she walked back from a table when she collided head on with another body. The brunette looked up; ready to apologize when she recognized the male.

"Tamahome? What the hell are you doing in here?" she hissed, poking him in the chest with her index finger.

He smiled wickedly as he grabbed her hand with his own, and with his other, grabbed her chin, leaning his face down towards hers, until their lips were only a millimeter apart.

"This," he answered, before pressing his mouth to hers.

The brunette gasped at the contact and the vampire took that moment to slip his tongue into her mouth.

Miaka felt all the air leave her body as the vampire completely possessed her mouth. His lips were soft, and she could faintly taste chocolate and pop on his breath. She nearly squealed then, as his tongue ran across her bottom lip before he savagely bit into it. The brunette could only tightly clutch his shirt as he licked his tongue over the wounded area, leaving butterfly kisses on it. He finally let go, stroking her face with his finger before disappearing into the crowd.

Miaka gasped, trying to get some oxygen back into her blood.

"What was that?" she softly asked, running her fingers over her bruised lips.

* * *

_"**kokoro wa (hashiru) ano sora no shita**_

_**karamawari suru kimochi ga sakebi dasu no o tomerarenai**_

_**kimi made (todoke) kitto ato sukoshi**_

_**atsuku hizashi ga terasu kono michi no mukou**_

_**READY STEADY GO**_

_**PLEASE. TRUST ME."**_

Tomo grinned as his eyes fell on the brunette waitress from before standing in the back, looking like she had just been ravaged to the max. _'Ah to be young again,'_ he mused. He then turned back to his bandmates.

"What shall we play?" The five shrugged with uncommitted amusement. They knew the game.

Grinning, Tomo turned back to the front.

"Well?" he asked into the mike, causing a few screams. "What do you want to hear?"

Millions of voices blended together as screams floated through the room.

Tomo's eyes then fell on a petite girl near the front with electric blue hair. Bending slightly, he called to her.

"What do you want to hear, cutie?"

She blushed slightly, and stood on her toes, whispering a phrase that seemed to echo through the whole club.

"Jiyuu e no Shoutai."

Immediately, the stalling musicians sprang to life, as the music began pounding through everyone's ears, heavy on the guitar.

_**"Bousou eno yuwaku jutai ni te saiyaku  
osae teru jyoutai jiyuu eno shoutai"**_

* * *

Soi winced as the screaming continued, her ears ringing. A feeling of bloodlust was starting to rear its ugly head in the vampire's sub-conscious.

"I need to get drunk," she muttered hopelessly.

* * *

Nakago watched the waitress walk past him again and his mind again flashed with images of a woman; smiling, sleeping, kissing him.

_'Why does she remind me so clearly of the perfection that I have lost in my own idiocy? Why?'_

Narrowing his eyes, the vampire drowned his whiskey in a second, scorching his own throat. He then ordered another drink, his hand clenched tightly, causing the skin covering his knuckles to turn to an unnatural white hue.

_**"ashidori wa osoku nakayubi wa haya ku  
fukigen na hyoujyou te ni oenai shoujyou"**_

* * *

Tomo narrowed his eyes slightly as his mind caught onto the brainwaves of thought resounding from his boss' mind.

An image of a laughing woman sitting with her back towards him came into his mind's eye. She was sitting before a vanity, trying to tie up her knee-length hair. She turned then, showing off her mega-watt smile and her coal orbs. She laughed and held out her hand, expecting him to take it.

Tomo was immediately pulled out of the trance as Li threw a stone at the back of his head. Glaring without true malice at the vampire, he returned to his reality; the mike.

_**"isoi de kimi eno meiro wo kake mawaru  
dokoe yuku ka wa katte dakeredo  
jyama dake wa shinaide kureru?**_

_**kanashii hodo kimi ni tsutawara nai**_  
_**kono kimochi taisetsu ni trank ni tsume te"**_

* * *

A quick hop and the young man landed past the puddle, whistling, he continued on towards down the alleyway. A chill went up his back. Pausing, he cast his hazel gaze around, seeing nothing out, he moved on.

Behind, in the shadows, the sandy-haired assassin relaxed his grip on his gun.

* * *

A little boy, twelve at the most, kneeled on the kitchen counter, watching a bowl in the microwave.

His hand froze then as a large snap resounded in the silent air. Getting off the counter, he slipped over to the window and peered outside. It was completely dead silent, nothing out of place. The boy frowned but went back to waiting for his food.

* * *

"Please refrain from molesting my charge in public, Tamahome."

The male flashed Soi a smirk.

"Your charge?"

The female sat down in front of him, and gave him a severe glare.

"I'm warning you now, Tamahome-kun," the vampire finally hissed, flashing her fangs. "I like you, but Miaka is too precious to be placed on just a whim. Her soul will not survive parting from you again."

Tamahome stared at her in surprise.

"Wha-Soi-san, you're—what are you talking about?"

Soi understood then. Tamahome didn't remember his past life with the girl.

"Forget it," she murmured, sliding out of the booth.

"Soi-san! Wait!"

_**"nante memagurushii toki no kaiten  
tobikau machijyu no kensou wo oikoshi"**_

* * *

Three silenced shots whizzed through the air, as three bodies fell to the ground in heaps. The young man sighed, brushing his sandy-brown bangs out of his face. He then jumped to the ground, and walked towards the corpses, watching as the bullets dissolved into nothingness.

"If only they had this kind of technology when I was an assassin," he muttered as he walked off.

* * *

("Chiri?") The monk looked up immediately. ("How is everything?")

"Well, it seems that the exchange has been moved up," Chiriko reported to Tasuki directly. "But the girls seem to be handling it well. And also, our black agent has taken out four of the targets."

("Alright. Keep us posted.")

* * *

A man looked up, his golden eyes narrowing. He rose up a hand, ordering the others behind him to spread out, as he pulled out his gun. Suddenly then, he seemed to change as two wolf ears became visible in his brownish hair.

_'Pathetic.'_

The young man jumped off the fire escape, landing silently on the ground. He then walked up to the back of his opponent, and easily pulled the unsuspecting man into a dead lock, muffling his mouth with his hands. The were's eyes widened as he tried to bite through the hand covered in a biker glove with his fanged jaw. His captor smirked as he drew a blade form his pocket, and slashed in a blink of an eye across the captive's throat. The man watched as blood surrounded the corpse in a large puddle.

"Wolf blood always reeks," he remarked as he walked off, throwing the knife away, and taking out his sniper once again.

* * *

_**"mou nidoto ima wa modora nai  
oikosu kako azawarau youna mirai mitsumeta mama  
konnanimo sobani itemo toku  
ne dareka jiyuu eno shoutai wo!"**_

Nakago's eyes narrowed. The stench of wolf blood was in the air. Something was definitely wrong. Cursing, he slid out of his seat, and walked towards the male restroom. Once inside, he checked to make sure he was alone, before pulling out his cell.

* * *

Soi glanced around carefully as she handed drinks off at another table.

"Girls, listen up. Our gentlemen are getting restless. As soon as this song ends, let's start to get the civilians out of the way."

("But what about the musicians?") Yui's voice asked clearly.

"They take a break after every three songs. I checked the schedule."

("Alirght.")

("Gotcha.")

"You too, Tamahome."

* * *

"Crystal," Tamahome confirmed. He began walking over the farthest table in the back, and pulled out his double semi-automatics, holding them by his side.

"I'm sorry to intrude, ladies and gentlemen, but get out of the club and away from here as fast as you can."

The group stared at him.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Tamahome smirked, showing his fangs.

"Your worst nightmare."

The nine people gasped in horror as Tamahome raised his guns to their faces, and immediately fled away from him. He watched in satisfaction as they ran out of the club.

_**"aitai noni itsumo umaku ikanai  
demo negau kyou koso wa nerai wo sadame  
sukima wo nuke te egao no kanatae"**_

* * *

Nakago walked back out of the restroom to see the five musicians already sitting at his table. All had an uneasy expression lining their faces.

"It seems that we have a problem," Li remarked dryly. Nakago said nothing as he sat down.

"What the hell?" Tomo cut him off. He stared as two waitresses began shunning people out. At another corner, a young man was telling people to leave.

The other vampires also stared.

"What the fuck is going on?"

The prince got up and began stalking over to one of the waitresses, before Nakago and the others could stop him.

* * *

Miaka spun around speedily at a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to have her eyes locked with one very, _**very**_ attractive singer.

"Why are you shunning people out?" he calmly asked, his golden eyes glinting.

"Umm..."

("Miaka!") Yui's voice hissed through her earpiece. ("What are you doing?") Miaka fumbled as the singer watched her carefully.

"Not now, Yui," she muttered underneath her breath. She then quickly looked up, and gave the eerie eyed man a sheepish smile.

"I'd love to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, Ryo-san," Miaka replied, trying to keep her tone light.

* * *

Yui cursed as she watched Miaka struggle with how to deal with the singer.

"Ice, we're having problems. This isn't going to work. We need some sort of distraction or something. Hell anything to keep the musicians and the mobsters from noticing us evacuating the civilians," she shot hurriedly, trying to think of something.

("**Consider them solved**,")

* * *

Soi stood in the middle of the dance floor with a mike in her hands. All the lights dimmed out, leaving only the strobe lights on. A fast beat began pounding through the whole club. Immediately, the dance floor was cleared.

_**"This is sick **_

_**Attention it's time to dance..." **_

A soft red spotlight began to sway over the dance floor and lit up her still form.

* * *

Yui stared at the tall woman as she began to dance and sing among a gigantic crowd.

The strobe lights flickered along with the beat of the music as the crowd began to follow the vampire in the middle. With all the moving bodies and the low visibility of the strobe lights, they had the perfect environment to move in.

"Holy shit. Now that is a distraction."

* * *

A silenced shot whizzed through the hair, and hit a werewolf in the back. The creature fell to the ground, as a hand covered in biker glove switched the magazine. He paused then as the end of a cool cylinder was pressed against his temple.

"Well what do we have here? A sharp-shooter." The man placed down his sniper, and stood up slowly, putting his hands in the air.

The werewolf holding the gun smirked. His captive glanced around through the corners of his eyes, and paused. The tan-haired man then let out a flash spin kick, hitting the guy in the chin with the edge of his boot. He grabbed the gun, wrenching it out of the wolf's grip, and pelted him with half of the magazine.

"I hate it when a wolf touches me," he ground out, before finishing out the whole clip. "I can never get their damn stink off."

* * *

"People, we have five minutes!" Tasuki yelled, as two dozen agents were strapping up, and placing their guns into their holsters. "Let's GO! Move! Move! **MOVE!**"

* * *

_**"This is serious **_

_**I'm delirious **_

_**So oblivious **_

_**I could dance all night"**_

Soi watched out the corner of her eye, as Santoshi began to move. She easily glided across the floor as the other people just seemed to make a pathway for her. She needed to grab his attention. Her eyes then fell on the notorious singer.

_'Bingo!_'

* * *

Tomo raised an eyebrow as the woman danced towards him, and hung off of him, inviting him to join. He smirked then. Just how could he resist such a delectable invite? He slid along with her, and began dancing to the beat.

* * *

Yui and Miaka watched as Santoshi paused and seemed to glare the forms of Soi and Ryo Chuin. The vampire seemed to be completely lost in the song, her body molding to the singer's.

"Damn. That is not fair. I'm so jealous," Yui muttered. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road."

Miaka nodded as she brought out her guns.

_**"Don't Stop, Don't Stop **_

_**Jerk it like you're making it choke **_

_**Break it like you're breakin' a code **_

_**Drop it till you're taking it lower"**_

* * *

A soft thump resounded through the silent alley as the man pulled back his sniper, and pulled out a curved dagger.

He jumped into the middle of a group of four werewolves, and threw the weapon into the first one's face, before turning around the kicking the second. He ducked a wild punch, and instead slammed his fist up into the wolf's chest, smirking at the feeling of bones cracking on impact. He then spun around and kicked the last one, his heel smashing into the wolf's temple.

In a flurry of movements, all four werewolves lay on the ground unconscious. The man pulled out another gun and rammed two bullets in each one's skull.

"They seriously better be paying me more for this, cause now this is thirteen guys instead of eight."

* * *

_**"I'm like a junkie **_

_**I could dance all night **_

_**Work it like you're working a pole **_

_**Shake it 'til you're shaking the floor **_

_**Pop it like you're poppin' a cork "**_

Tamahome watched the three Yazuka members walk over past the dance floor. Jumping out from behind the bar, he walked over to the door entrance.

* * *

Miaka watched as she pressed a magazine into her semi. Yui sat about five meters away from just fiddling with her kunai. Both were waiting for the signal.

_**"I could dance all night **_

_**Can we take this party higher? **_

_**Now just put your hands to the sky and **_

_**Clap, clap, clap, clap **_

_**I could dance all night"**_

* * *

Three wolves smirked as they began connecting wires. The plot was almost set. Kaboom. Kaboom. _Kaboom._

* * *

Chiriko stared at the sensor patterns on his screen and then gasped.

"Boss!" he shouted, half rising out of his seat.

Chichiri came running over.

"What is it, Chiriko?"

"The NMR patterns, sir. They have explosives." Chichiri paled.

"How many?"

"I'm not sure, but this kind of signature is definitely reflective of high quality C4s." Chichiri paled even further.

"Get Tasuki. Now!"

* * *

The song ended abruptly as the strobe lights were cut. A collective gasp echoed through the dark expanse. Immediately, Tamahome's eyes shifted to the dark where he could make out Soi approaching him.

"What's the plan?" he hissed as she grew closer.

"Shoot whoever moves?" she questioned back with a smirk.

Tamahome glowered at her.

Rolling her eyes, the vampire dragged the younger male along with her.

"All the humans are along the walls. When I released the smoke machines during the song, I put in a light form of Chichiri's knockout juice, so they're all probably a little addled. The powders that I put into Santoshi's and the Yakuza's drinks should stop them from smelling us, but only for a short while I need you to help me evacuate the humans right now, before I can hit the lights again. As soon as I hit the lights, we let Ruby and Sapphire deal with the Yazuka and Santoshi. Good?"

Tamahome nodded.

"You got it, Boss-lady," he replied back with a smirk, flashing his fangs. He turned then, running off to do his duty.

* * *

Yui took in deep breath as she waited for her vision to adjust. She could hear the breathing of the civilians along the walls and her own quiet breaths. Over to her right, she could barely make out Miaka.

Suddenly, Tamahome appeared in front of her.

"Shit!" the blonde girl hissed, barely stopping herself from stabbing him with her kunai. "Don't do that!"

He only grinned. "Get ready to deal with Santoshi and the Yakuza," he murmured before leaping past her to herd the rest of the civilians out.

Yui sighed, relaxing her shoulders. Filling her fingers with kunai, she hopped over to Miaka.

"You ready?" she asked quietly. Miaka smiled, raising her semi-autos in a salute.

"Oh hell yeah! I'm pretty much ready to skip all of this and go straight to that tub of _Ben & Jerry's Phish Food_ that's got my name written all over!" Yui rolled her eyes fondly.

It was tradition after all.

* * *

The young man whistled as he entered his home. Dumping his keys on the table, he sauntered towards the kitchen.

"Where have you been Nii-chan?"

The man paused to stare at a young boy of 12 standing. He grinned and walked towards him.

"What are you doing up, Squirt?" he asked, ruffling the kid's hair.

"Don't call me that!" the boy snapped immediately, making the man laugh.

"Come on kid, how about some hot cocoa and then bed?" he offered.

The boy frowned before relenting.

"Only if you add marshmallows," he cried, running into the kitchen.

His brother smiled fondly as he followed him.

* * *

The lights flashed back on and Miaka blinked her eyes, adjusting to the brightness. The civilians and band were gone, leaving only Maki and the Yazuka.

Before the gangsters could move, Yui had jumped in between them, her kunai filled hands pointed at their throats.

"By jurisdiction of JUDSA and decree 49A, you are under arrest," she announced. "You have the right—"

The blonde was cut off as one of the Yakuza swung wildly at her. Dodging out the way, Yui slammed her knee into his chest, while Miaka shot down one of the others down, aiming at his kneecaps.

Regaining her balance, Yui swung around and brought her hand into the man's chest, slashing through his skin. Flicking her wrist, she embedded him into the floor with her kunai.

Meanwhile, Miaka slammed the butt of her gun into one thug's nose, smirking as she felt it crush under the pressure. With her other hand, she shot another in the foot. Seeing him go down, the brunette grabbed the first guy's head and head-butted him, knocking him out cold. She dropped him and went after the second.

Yui, behind her, was dealing with Maki. The burly mobster was faster than he looked and Yui was barely keeping up, dodging his knives. He faltered for a split second and the blonde lashed out immediately, sending her kunai into his gut. Yui managed to grab his wrists as he spun and handcuffed them, and then round-housed him across the face. Seeing him go down and not come back up, the blonde spun to help Miaka with the Yakuza that seemed to be multiplying.

As she found herself back to the back with the brunette, Yui sent that thought to the girl.

"Is it just me or are there more of these guys every second?"

Dodging a wild kick, Miaka shot down two guys and then yelled back.

"Not to sound cheesy, but I think they're coming out of the woodwork or something. This is insane. We need cover. Get to the bar!"

Yui nodded and slammed her fist into a random mobster in front of her.

Together, the two girls began to cut a path through the mobsters, heading towards the bar. Yui alternated between punching the mobsters and throwing her kunai to take them down while Miaka used her guns to the fullest, alternating between shooting and slamming the guns' butts into the mobsters' faces.

As they reached the bar, the two girls used their momentum to leap over and land squarely on the floor.

"Alive?" the blonde asked between pants.

"Mostly. One of those pricks got me with a toe knife," Miaka responded, shifting to reveal a long cut on her leg.

Yui winced.

"Shit. Any idea where Tamahome and Soi are?"

Miaka shook her head. "Nope."

"Double shit."

Miaka gave a tired grin. "My thoughts exactly Yu-chan."

* * *

Outside, Tamahome and Soi were rounding up civilians with the medics from the team. Looking up, Soi caught sight of Tasuki running towards them.

"Tasuki-san?" the vampire called.

The red-headed man stopped short in front of them.

"Where are the girls?"

"Inside," Tamahome answered.

The red-head swore as he clenched and unclenched his hands.

"What's wrong?" the male vampire asked.

"Chiriko picked explosive residues. This entire place is covered with them—Tamahome!" The vampire had taken off towards the club before the red head could finish.

Raking a hand through his hair, Tasuki turned to Soi.

"How bad is it?"

He frowned. "5 years ago bad."

* * *

Tomo ducked a wild swing from a rabid wolf as he ran to the back of the club. Hissing, he grabbed a wolf coming at him and threw the creature into the wall, slashing his claws through its chest. Racing forward, he kicked open the emergency exit door and ran into the alley. A few wolves tried to chase after the prince, but lost sight of him as he jumped up and raced along the fire escapes of the buildings.

"Prince!" Tomo skidded to a halt at Jin's voice. He looked down to see all four musicians and Nakago standing below him.

Nakago had a cut on his lip that was healing; Shang's shirt was torn in pieces; and Li had a bruise on his cheek, but overall they looked okay.

"What happened?" he demanded as he jumped down.

Nakago frowned. "Wolves. I didn't know they had infiltrated the Yakuza."

Tomo swore.

"What about the humans in the club?"

To his surprise, the musicians grinned.

"You should've seen it, Prince," Li began. "There were these two agents from JUDSA. Cute little things that had been masquerading as waitresses. You remember the little brunette in the maroon?"

Tomo laughed and nodded. "JUDSA, huh?"

"Yeah," Rei confirmed. "I'm pretty sure they have it under control."

Tomo nodded. "Alright let's get back. I want Saori to look you all over."

"Prince!" came the 4 part dismay along with Nakago's frown.

"I don't want to hear it!" the dark haired male barked. "Let's go!"

* * *

Tamahome raced back into the club only to get caught up in the madness. A rabid wolf tried to take his head off from one direction while a Yakuza tried to shoot him in the head. The vampire threw himself in a forward roll, taking out the wolf with his guns and then jumping up to slam his fist into the Yakuza's face, knocking him out.

"Tamahome!"

The vampire spun to catch sight of Yui yelling at him from behind the bar, where she and Miaka were camped out, shooting down opponents. Nodding to her, he started moving towards the far end of the bar, mowing down Yakuza and wolves as he went. One punch at a wolf, a kick at a Yakuza, and he was able to throw himself behind the bar.

"We got to get out of here!" he ordered immediately as he reached the girls.

Miaka turned. "Why? What's up?"

"Explosives. They've rigged the place to blow like fucking new year's day."

The girl paled. "Shit. Yui?"

The blonde turned from her spot and nodded. "Go. Tamahome, you take point. I'll cover and follow after."

Miaka immediately glared. "No way! I'm not leaving you in here!"

Yui glared back at her best friend. "Miaka, I'm the fastest out of us. I was trained for this. Go! I'll be fine!"

The brunette frowned at her friend. She reloaded both of her guns and handed them to Yui before turning towards Tamahome and nodding at him to lead the way.

Yui watched the two of them moved before readying herself to jump back into the fray. Fingering her kunai and slipping the guns into her shorts, she let out a wild yell as she jumped across the bar, bunny-punching a Yakuza in the face, ducking under him, and kicking his feet out as she moved on. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tamahome and Miaka get closer to the door. Smirking, she turned back towards the men and began to systematically use the guns and kunai to shoot them down, spinning around in circles as she fired, ducked, and dodged.

* * *

Tasuki saw him first. Running forward, the commander tackled Santoshi to the ground, slamming his head into the floor before grabbing his wrists and handcuffing him, right above Yui's broken handcuffs. The man tried to spit at the red-head, but he just dodged and slammed his palm into the man's forehead. Getting to his feet, Tasuki turned to the other agents.

"Load him into the van. He's going to Rimoudo!" he barked. He then turned and looked to see Tamahome and Miaka running towards him. They came to a stop before him, panting.

"Tsukanami, Yuki. Good. Where's Hongo?"

Panting, Tamahome straightened. "She gave us cover fire, sir, with intention to follow after."

Behind them, Santoshi began to chuckle with disdain. "You left one of yours in there, Kou?"

Tasuki spun in surprise.

Santoshi laughed. "Oh yes, my master told me all about you, Suzaku-no-seishi, and about your miko. I wonder how she'll feel watching Seiryuu-no-miko die."

Miaka stepped forward. "What do you mean by that?"

The man laughed. "Boom. Boom. Boom, little girl!" His laughter spiraled up before he began to choke on his own breath.

Tasuki swore. "Fuck. He's dying!"

The commander and agents grabbed the man, but it was too late. Looking at them with glassy eyes, Santoshi gave them one last remark.

"And now she'll die!"

The three launched to their feet, Miaka turning to run back to the club.

"No!" Tamahome grabbed her around the waist, yanking her back to him.

"Let me go Tamahome! Yui is in there!" she screamed, trying to elbow him off.

"Miaka, no!"

"Let me go, damn it!" She jerked, punching him in the mouth. He let for a moment, and Miaka used that second to crawl out from under him. He managed to grab her ankle and yank her to the ground. She screamed, turning to hit him when suddenly, behind her, the club burst into flames.

"No!" her shriek echoed. "Yui!"

* * *

Yui felt her body slam into the ground. One second, she had been kicking ass. The next, flying through the air like confetti.

"Hang on," a man whispered into her ears, ringing from the explosion. "Don't let go." Her lungs were burning and yet she could feel his warm body against hers. Her eyes were stinging with smoke and her mouth dry.

"I won't," the blonde managed to mutter before passing out. The last thing she saw was a pair of navy blue eyes.

_-TBC-_

* * *

Notes on the Text:

1. Santoshi Hideno: I'm not quite sure, but I think he was one of the principal art directors of my favorite video game series, Metal Gear Solid. So I think this was my little tribute to him.

2. "Lavender, Sweet Lavender" is a poem by Cumberkand Clark, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and Royal Geographical Society of England. I actually heard the poem from an elderly gentleman who recited it to my mother as praise for her lavender perfume.

3. "I smell something. Bullshit" is a quote from one of my favorite childhood movies, Mortal Kombat. (I'm age-stamping myself here.) It's a tribute to the series that got me interested in action to begin with and it felt so well here.

4. The three songs by Tomo and his band are actually songs of the band, **L'arc~en~Ciel**. The songs used were, in order, _Seventh Heaven_, _Ready Steady Go_, and _Jiyuu e No Shoutai_.

5. The song sung by Soi is _All Nite_ by **Janet Jackson** from her 2004 album, _Damita Jo_.

6. **Pink Lady** is a female Japanese pop duo from the late 70s. They were quite the disco queens known for wearing short, shimmery outfits.

7. **Ofuda** is a talisman used in Shinto Shrines. They are usually made of wood and have the name of a kami inscribed on top. They are placed a pieces of protection and often people buy them as offerings to shrines on behalf of families for the new year.

* * *

_(A/N):_ Wow. I'm back. The previous version of this chapter was posted almost—6 years ago? Wow, it's been a while. I definitely think my style has changed. Hopefully, it's more mature now.

So this mammoth of a chapter, which by the way, is over 30 pages long, took forever to write and then edit. It feels like I've been just going back and re-writing dialogue again and again until it feels natural. One of the biggest issues I had was pacing, which is why this chapter includes time stamps. I felt that if it was so difficult for me to keep track of, I might as well assume my reader will have the same issue.

As for the actual chapter, it's a doozy between action and character development. I know there's a lot of unknowns floating around in this chapter and I'm tempted to add in a character list. But I almost want to wait until I finish introducing all the seishi and flush out the plot. Let me know, though, if you would still like a character list similar to the one I used in **True Blue** ages ago.

Other than that, the only thing that really had me on the fence was the use of songs. I find songs in fiction very hard to do. I've seen only a few examples where they are done well and don't take over the plot, but I honestly didn't know whether I should keep them or not. I ended up keeping them just because they helped with the pacing and also because they were a feature of the original that I felt was too essential to discard.

Let me know how you felt about this one!


End file.
